Taller cars and trucks are more dangerous for pedestrians, according to crash data

GMC pickup trucks on a lot at a General Motors dealership in Austin, Texas. The average U.S. passenger vehicle has gotten about 8 inches taller in the last 30 years, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

American cars and trucks keep getting bigger — and new research suggests that additional height comes at a steep cost to safety.

Vehicles with higher front ends and blunt profiles are 45% more likely to cause fatalities in crashes with pedestrians than smaller cars and trucks, according to new research published Tuesday by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.